Paramount puts exec pair in place

Corcoran, Kao given key posts at studio

Paramount Pictures has tapped Michael Corcoran president of the consumer products and recreation group. The studio also upped Shane Kao to veep of business affairs at Paramount Digital Entertainment.

Corcoran, who will report to Par vice chairman Rob Moore, will oversee the studio’s worldwide licensing, consumer products and themed entertainment activities. In the newly created role, he will spearhead a broad range of licensing and merchandising programs to extend the Paramount brand and its properties across such platforms as theme parks, toys, apparel, themed restaurants and book publishing.

Michael Bartok, exec veep of licensing, will continue in his role and will now report to Corcoran.

Corcoran joins Par from NBC Universal, where he served in several senior marketing, finance and operations roles including exec veep, chief administrative officer and chief financial officer of Universal Parks and Resorts and exec VP-chief financial officer of Universal’s Orlando theme park.

Kao, who had served as executive director of business and legal affairs since March 2007, will be responsible for negotiating domestic and international deals to leverage Paramount’s filmed entertainment properties across digital distribution platforms. He will continue to report to Ron Sufrin, exec VP of business and legal affairs at Par Digital Entertainment.

Kao joined Paramount in 2005 as senior attorney, business and legal affairs for Paramount Home Entertainment. He was previously a business and legal affairs executive at MGM.